Hearty Midwest Maple Syrup Recipes

Ruth Smiley of Parke County, Indiana, gave us her recipe for Maple Syrup Cake, which she makes in a fluted tube pan. We mixed up an easy maple syrup icing to drizzle over the top. Ruth's family produces maple syrup on land that's been in the family for five generations.

Apple pie spice, apple juice and apples give these pancakes a triple dose of fruit. Both pancakes and maple syrup have a rich tradition in the Midwest, where winter and spring festivals celebrate the syrup harvest.